Fisherville/Wild Horse ghost town | mining, interesting place

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In 1864 placer gold was found on Wild Horse Creek and soon a stampede of miners followed. Before the end of the year, the first town in the East Kootenay was flourishing, with 6 general stores, 4 saloons, restaurants, a brewery and hundreds of miners shacks and tents.

By 1865 there were as many as 5000 miners here. But when it was discovered that the town was built right on rich gold gravels, the buildings were torn down or burned by the miners in their wild quest. The town was moved further up the hill and was renamed Wild Horse. The colonial government built the Dewdney Trail across southern BC to the town (the last 2.5 km of this trail is still in good condition and makes an interesting historic hike as one visits the town site).

But like many boomtowns, the town soon dwindled to just a few hardy souls, mainly placer miners of Chinese ancestry, as Fort Steele grew into prominence in the region. Though placer mining continued well into the 20th century, Fisherville or Wild Horse became a ghost town.

The site of this once prosperous town is managed by Fort Steele Heritage Town. One can take a self-guided walking tour through the historic cemetery, see building foundations and remnants of the mining operations.

For a virtual tour of the town site, see www.fortsteele.ca/exhibits/kootenay/vrtour/tour-01.asp